1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensing, and more particularly to an improved hand operated pump dispenser such as a trigger pump or a finger pump with a reduced volume of material and a reduced number of component parts required to manufacture the hand operated dispenser.
2. Background of the Invention
In a standard hand operated pump dispenser such as a trigger pump or a finger pump, a product is sealed within a container by a container closure. The container closure supports the hand operated pump commonly referred to as a finger pump. The hand operated pump communicates with a container through a dip tube for providing a fluid conduit between the hand operated pump and the bottom of the container. When the hand operated pump is actuated, the pump draws product from the bottom of the container through the dip tube to be dispensed by the pump from a terminal orifice.
In recent years, hand operated pumps have been used for dispensing a wide variety of commercial and personal health care products. In many cases, hand operated pumps have replaced aerosol dispensers for various reasons including environmental concerns regarding the use of aerosol products.
In general, aerosol dispensers are less expensive to manufacture than hand operated pumps. An aerosol dispenser is less expensive to manufacture since an aerosol dispenser is essentially a valve for controlling a pressurized aerosol propellant internal of a container. In contrast, the hand operated pump must generate an internal pressure within the pump for dispensing a product from a container. The component parts necessary to generate the internal pressure within the pump adds to the cost of the hand operated pump that are not required by an aerosol dispenser.
In anticipation of the expected increase in use of hand operated pumps to replace aerosol dispensers, the dispensing industry is exploring new designs and new assembly techniques to reduce the costs of hand operated pumps to be more commensurate with the cost of aerosol dispensers.
Although the cost of research, development, design and tooling for the construction of a hand operated pump may be substantial, the cost of a hand operated pump is essentially determined by the number of component parts of the hand operated pump and the material weight of each of the component parts of the hand operated pump. The material weight of each of the component parts is indicative of the amount of material required to fabricate the parts whereas the number of component parts is indicative of the complexity and cost of assembling the component parts into the hand operated pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,446 to Ankney discloses a thin walled can having an opening defined by a surface and a pouring spout of a pliant plastic material having a portion positioned within the opening and sealingly engaging the surface. The portion having a longitudinal passage with the portion before insertion in the opening having outer dimensions generally at least equal to the dimensions of the opening, the passage after the portion is inserted in the opening having predetermined dimensions longitudinally uniform at least for the length of the opening, and a rigid sleeve inserted in the passage after the portion is inserted in the opening, the sleeve having outer dimensions longitudinally uniform at least for the length of the opening and greater than the passage predetermined dimensions, but less than the opening dimensions, whereby when the sleeve is inserted into the passage after the portion is inserted in the opening, the material of the portion will be compressed between the sleeve and the opening surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,300 to Waddington et al discloses a sealed dispensing apparatus for a container which comprises a tubular plug of elastomeric material, a fluid dispensing device fitting the bore of the plug in fluid-tight relationship therewith and, surrounding the plug, a pair of flanges whose adjacent surfaces are spaced apart in the axial direction of the plug by a distance which is small in comparison with the diameter of the plug inside the flanges and forming a groove between the flanges, the first of the flanges being bounded over at least a part of its axial length with a surface whose diameter increases in the direction toward the groove, being of maximum peripheral size adjacent to the groove, having a minimum peripheral size which is, at most substantially equal to the peripheral size which is, at most substantially equal to the peripheral size of the plug on a section taken through the groove, and having a maximum peripheral size which is insufficient to prevent sufficient deformation of the elastomeric material while the shape of the bore of the plug is maintained constant by the fluid dispensing device, to allow passage of the first flange through an aperture leading from the outside to the inside of a container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,018 to Corsette et al discloses a generally vertical cylindrical pump barrel having at its upper end a collar, with a plunger reciprocally disposed in the barrel and having at its upper end and above the collar a discharge head having a discharge orifice for fluid, spring means acting between the barrel and plunger for urging the plunger upwardly in the barrel, a check valve associated with the barrel to prevent downward movement of fluid therein, the plunger being formed to provide a discharge passage extending therethrough and communicating with the discharge orifice, means acting between the head and the collar to hold the head and plunger in a depressed and immobilized position against the action of the spring means, sealing means acting between the head and collar, the sealing means being rendered operative when the plunger is depressed and immobilized to seal the barrel to prevent leakage externally of the plunger, and means operable when the plunger is depressed and immobilized to seal the discharge passage to prevent leakage internally of the plunger, the last named means comprising coacting sealing surfaces relatively displaced into engagement to block flow of liquid through the discharge passage and hence to the orifice, the first named sealing means comprising a depending annular flange on the head having a peripheral bead thereon, a first surface on the collar engaged by the bead, and a second surface on the collar forming an acute angle with the first surface and engaging the flange when the head and plunger occupy the depressed and immobilized position to expand the flange and thereby to apply pressure between the bead and the first surface on the collar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,156 to Schultz discloses a container comprising an end member having an opening therein and being provided with a rib-engaging surface; and a passaged nozzle received in the opening and secured to the end member, the nozzle being formed in one piece of a resilient plastic material and including a body portion insertable through the opening from the side directed toward the container interior, a radially directed flange adjacent the inner end of the body portion, a locking rib on the periphery of the body portion axially spaced from the flange, the rib being of a larger diameter than the opening and resiliently expanding to lock against the rib-engaging surface of the end member, the length of the body of the nozzle between the locking rib and the flange being slightly greater than the distance between the rib engaging surface and the inner surface of the breast portion of the end member thereby causing the resilient plastic material between the locking rib and flange to be locked and under tension between the rib engaging surface and the inner breast surface, and matching toothed serrations on the nozzle and on an inner surface of the end member extending around each of them at locations such that the serrations mesh and slide axially relative to one another upon nozzle installation and prevent relative rotation between the nozzle and the end member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,953 to Donohue discloses a flexible walled container having first and second integrally formed chambers arranged one above the other, with an integrally formed separating wall therebetween. A tubular plug is threadably received in an insert fixed in an opening defined by the separating wall, and access to the plug is provided through a dispensing opening in the upper or second chamber. The plug carries a tube or conduit through which liquid can be forced by squeezing the lower or first chamber defining portion, and the plug has a laterally open passageway for directing the liquid toward the side of the second chamber to permit filling of the latter to a desired level after which the container can be inverted to dispense only that liquid in the second chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,487 to Blake discloses a variable volume pump chamber formed by a flexible bulb having a flange on its upper end which serves as a gasket and carries depending flaps which form inlet and outlet check valves for the chamber. In two other arrangements, the pump chamber is formed by a piston and cylinder and the valve element is a separate member surrounding a cavity open to the pump chamber. A novel vent valve permits replacement air into the container on which the pump is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,853 to Pauls et al discloses a multi-function dispenser that may be adjusted to obtain a spray or stream of the material dispensed, either as a long duration discharge of the material or as intermittent discharges corresponding to actuation of a trigger actuator, or as a continuous discharge during actuations of the trigger, depending upon functional design variables. Structure is provided for storing an accumulated amount of material upon repeated operations of the trigger, for subsequent prolonged discharge of the material, or the accumulating structure may be bypassed for intermittent discharges of the material as the trigger is operated, or the accumulating structure may function as a holding chamber whereby a continuous discharge of the material may be obtained while the trigger is being operated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,009 to Schmidt discloses a spray pump having a connecting portion connectable to a container and whose housing is provided with co-axially step bores defining a venting chamber for venting the container and a pump chamber. The pump piston has oppositely conically divergent lips engaging the walls of the respective chambers and is hollow to receive the restoring spring which can also bear upon a checkvalve ball.
Although hand operated dispensers are economical due to superior design and manufacturing techniques, the manufacturers of hand operated dispensers continue to strive to further increase the efficiency of manufacture. One significant method of reducing the manufacturing cost of hand operated dispensers is to reduce the volume of material required to manufacture the hand operated dispenser and to reduce the number of component parts required to manufacture the hand operated dispenser.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a combined turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device wherein a hand operated pump can be manufactured with the elimination of one component part required by the pumps of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combined closure turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device that can be manufactured with one less component part and with substantially no material increase of the remaining components of the hand operated dispensing device.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combined turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device that provides a reduction in both the number of component parts of the hand operated dispensing device and a reduction in the amount of material weight of the component parts of the hand operated dispensing device.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combined turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device which is suitable for use on existing containers of conventional design.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combined turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device which may be easily fabricated on existing assembly machines.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combined turret and closure seal for a hand operated dispensing device with reduced overall costs relative to the prior art with substantially the same dispensing performance.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention with in the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.